Breaking Apart
by visbot
Summary: What if Colin was never in a Coma... ? Companion piece to Ditey's 'Next Exit'


Title: Breaking Apart  
  
Pairing: Colin/Bright sorta.  
  
Rating: PG-13 swearing and adult situations  
  
Disclaimer: blah blah WB blah blah.  
  
Summary: What if Colin never was in a coma?  
  
Part of the 'Ditey and visbot's Ultimate What If.' Universe (Go read the first Chapter: Next Exit)  
  
A/N: Sort of a joint venture between me and Ditey. She started it off in NYC, and I'm in Everwood for the time being.  
  
To recap Chapter 1: Andy's dead instead of Julia in NYC. I wonder what's happening in Everwood?  
  
Please Read and Review.  
  
--  
  
What if Colin never was in a coma?  
  
--  
  
Colin couldn't help laughing while watching Bright prance around in his costume. Colin switched off the camcorder and handed it back to his mom. Bright was going to kill him, but it'd be worth it.  
  
"I'm gonna chill with Bright, be back for the fireworks mom." He kissed his mom and started walking towards the stage.  
  
"Have fun dear." She said, her eyes never leaving her Harlan Ellison book.  
  
--  
  
"We'll meet you there!" Both Colin and Bright watched as the black truck drove off heading towards the make shift off-road course.  
  
Bright was going around to the other side of the Colin's dad new truck when Colin grabbed his arm and pulled him back.  
  
"Look Bright, can I talk to you for a sec?"  
  
"Sure dude, what's up?" Bright looked into Colin's eyes. They'd been friends since the fourth grade, and he could tell there was something wrong. Colin seemed different, odd; there was something sad about him.  
  
Colin shifted uncomfortably under the stare his best friend was giving him. He looked down and studied his beat-up running shoes. His lucky Nikes; they've treated him well over the years. He wore the same pair when they won state. He wore them when he first asked Amy out. Stupid considering they were at a ski lodge, but still, it gave him luck. He didn't remember the firs.  
  
"Dude what is it? Just tell me." Bright studied the uncomfortable guilty look on Colin's face. "You're gay aren't you? And you want me. You've always wanted me. OH I LOVE YOU too Colin!" Bright reached over and pulled Colin in a bear hug, lifting him up into the air, twirling in circles. "We'll run away together! C AND B together at last!"  
  
"Fuck off man. I'm serious." Bright dropped Colin with a thud. He climbed up and sat on the hood of his dad's new truck. Bright jumped up with ease and leaned back looking at the sky.  
  
"So what do you want to talk about?" correlation  
  
"Look I've thought about this for a long time.." Colin's eyes darted away from Bright's face and looked around at the crowd.  
  
"And.." Bright laid back, enjoying the warm sun on his face. Looking at the clouds that drifted by, trying to distinguish shapes.  
  
"And.. I don't know if I feel .I feel.the same way. Amy does."  
  
".." Bright slowly sat up and turned to face Colin. Colin could see the change in Bright's face, he went from easy going to suddenly serious. Colin rarely saw that face on Bright. Colin reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask, taking a long drink. He passed it to Bright, who quickly took a chug and handed it back.  
  
"What do you mean?" questioned Bright. Colin could see his eyes narrow just the slightest as he asked the question. His eyes piercing his, digging for the truth. Colin couldn't take it and looked away from his best friend's face and back to the sky, hoping to see answers written in the clouds.  
  
"Dude . she said she loved me.. Like real love. Wedding love . baby shit love." Colin paused, waiting for Bright to interrupt. But he knew he wouldn't, he'd make him say it.  
  
"I'm sorry dude. I just don't feel that way about her. I like her. I love her. But not like that. You know?" Colin took a quick glance at Bright's face, it hasn't change at all. He just sat there, mulling what Colin said in his head.  
  
"You sure about this?" Colin looked at Bright again, hoping to see some emotion, anger, hatred, sorrow, friendship, anything. All he got was a stone cold expression on his face.  
  
"Yeah. I've tried, I really tried to love her. But . I just don't know why. She's great and all. but. sorry." Colin looked down at his hands as if they were the most interesting things in the world.  
  
"Do you remember when you first asked me if you could ask her out?" Bright's voice was steady and monotone. Colin noticed that Bright's hands were balled up into fists.  
  
Colin nodded slowly.  
  
"I asked you if you really loved her or if you just wanted to fuck her." Bright paused, replaying the scene in his head. "You said you loved her. That you've always loved her. That you loved since we were young. That it wasn't just a crush. Remember?" Colin could see sadness in Bright's eyes. Not for himself, but for his little sister that he loved to death. Colin shouldn't have brought this up.  
  
"Yeah." Colin responded solemnly.  
  
"And I agreed, on one condition. Do you remember that condition?"  
  
"Come on man. that's.. that's not fair," pleaded Colin. He looked into Bright's eyes, and saw that he was distanced now, that they were drifting apart, as pseudo-brothers, as best friends, as friends. They were drifting by the second, and Colin didn't know what to do to stop it.  
  
"What was the condition?"  
  
Colin sighed deeply, feeling his heart shrink at his own words: "That'd I'd never leave her. Ever. No questions asked."  
  
"And if you did?" Still no emotion.  
  
"We would be through." Colin swallowed hard, feeling his Adam's apple slide up and down. "No more C and B.." His eyes quickly meet Bright's, and quickly turned away. ".And you'd kill me... And I agreed." Colin could feel tears in his eyes.  
  
"Are you sure you want to break up with her?"  
  
"Does it really matter what I say?" he asked, hoping that he could just shut his mouth and go back to five minutes and everything back to normal.  
  
"No." Colin almost didn't hear Bright's whisper.  
  
Colin looked over to Bright, and watched as he slowly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. He opened his eyes with a start and turned directly facing Colin. His mind made up.  
  
"We're done. Stay the FUCK AWAY FROM ME AND AMY!" He screamed in Colin's face.  
  
Colin recoiled in shock, and could feel his heart shattering. He gave Bright a pleading look which Bright answered with the hardest punch he could muster, crashing into Colin's jaw knocking him off his truck.  
  
Colin tried to breath, but found he couldn't. He felt breathless, trapped underwater. Shit, he was having a panic attack. Colin's hands started shake and could feel his head spinning as he picked himself off the ground. He could taste blood in his mouth. Colin felt his jaw; it was still sore, but nothing broken. He looked around and saw Bright climbing into his red truck. Oh no. thought Colin, what have I done? His panic quickly turned into dismay.  
  
Before he could yell to Bright to come back, Bright started his truck and drove off at break neck speed. Colin quickly grabbed his keys out of his pockets and jumped into his own truck, revving the engine as he speed out of the parking lot, chasing after his best friend.  
  
He passively looked through his rear view mirror. His stomach bottomed out as he saw Amy standing not far from where they were talking just moments ago. He really couldn't tell her expression from this distance. But it looked like she was crying.  
  
Fuck. What the fuck have I done? Colin blamed himself. He stiffened his resolve, and sped after Bright, he could deal with Amy later. Bright was liable to do something stupid now. And he couldn't risk losing his best friend.  
  
It wasn't hard to find Bright, he was heading to the pond, he always went there to think or when he was mad. Colin pushed the engine even harder and was pulling up fast behind Bright's truck. Colin honked the horns and flashed his lights at Bright, but got no response.  
  
"Come on pull over," Colin said to himself. Shit, he had to talk to him. He'd already lost Amy, he couldn't lose Bright too. Colin reached into his pocket and took a swig from his flask. He knew he shouldn't be drinking and driving, but he needed it to calm his nerves. Colin fastened his seatbelt, just in case. Taking a deep breath, he gunned his engine.  
  
Colin picked up speed and pulled up beside Bright, motioning to Bright to roll down his window. It was a relatively straight street on this side of the mountain, but Colin knew that it would start bending very soon. Much too soon for his liking.  
  
Colin had seen Bright like this before, rarely, but he's seen it. When something upset him, really upset him, he loses control. Like hitting your best friend. Bright looses his head and does things without realizing the consequences. Bright might not be the brightest guy in the world, but he's not stupid. When he was like this, pissed and upset, he did stupid things. When he caught Kristy cheating on him once, he went out and got drunk and tried to tackle parking meters. He didn't hurt anyone or do any damage but he fucked up his shoulder pretty good for a few weeks.  
  
And now in the driving seat of his truck, Colin was deathly afraid that Bright might do something radical, stupid, or just lose control. He had to get him off the road and into his truck as fast as possible.  
  
He pulled beside Bright and rolled down his window, and signaled Bright to do the same. After a few seconds, Bright reluctantly opened his window. Colin could hear the loud music blasting out of Bright's stereo. He wasn't going to make this easy.  
  
"BRIGHT! Just stop so we can talk!" screamed Colin. Colin glanced over at Bright, his face still stone cold and his attention focused on the road.  
  
"PLEASE STOP! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" Colin tried to keep pace with Bright's fluctuating speed. "I LOVE HER!" Colin could hear Bright turn down his radio. That was good. It's a first step.  
  
"BULLSHIT! You DON'T love her. She loves YOU man. How the FUCK can you do that to her?" cried Bright. Shit. He's starting to become emotional. "To US!?"  
  
"I don't know. I just don't feel the same way.." Colin could feel tears flowing from his eyes. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Confessing was supposed to be good. Bright was supposed to understand. He was supposed to know he loved Amy enough not to keep pulling her along. Bright, his best friend was suppose to understand HIM.  
  
"Please just st.."  
  
Colin slams on the breaks, and pulls behind Bright as a black truck flies by both cars, barely missing Colin's truck.  
  
Counting his small blessings, Colin accelerates and pulls up beside Bright again. "Please just stop dude, I don't want you to get hurt, just stop and we can talk. Have a drink," pleaded Colin.  
  
"FUCK OFF." Shouted Bright, as he was rolling up his window.  
  
"BRIGHT! Please I ju.."  
  
Colin was too busy trying to talk to Bright that he didn't see the semi- truck heading directly towards him, its horns blaring.  
  
Colin blinked.  
  
He was frozen, like deer in some very big head lights. Colin couldn't move, he couldn't get out if it's way. He couldn't hide behind Bright this time. Bright wasn't there for him, to stand up for him, to protect him like how he always does. He was on his own. And he was fucked.  
  
Colin stared at the lights; they were kinda interesting. He looked closer, and it seemed to be twinkling. The twinkling started to spiral around, creating a tunnel. A long tunnel that seemed to beckon him in. As he stared longer he seemed to be traveling towards the small epicenter of light. But there was a dot in the middle, a quickly expanding dot. It grew and grew, seeming to sweep Colin in.  
  
At the end he saw he was looking at himself. But he was a kid. With Bright. and Amy. Amy was crying, yelling at them to give back Grover.  
  
Colin's stomach dropped a foot as he realized he was seeing his life flash before his eyes. Scenes, memories, tastes, sounds, were flying at him at a phenomenal rate.  
  
Colin blinked.  
  
Colin felt a huge jolt from his right and heard a hurricane of scrapping metal and shattering glass. His truck started to turn over and roll. Only his seatbelt keeping him in place as his truck completed several rotations. He felt like he was being pulled in all directions, his head dizzy, and his vision tunneling. Blacking out on the sides, slowly converging. Colin blacked out.  
  
But before he did, he looked through a hail of raining glass to his side mirror and saw the semi truck rolling over a red truck. Bright's truck.  
  
--  
  
Bright had pushed Colin out of the way.  
  
--  
  
What if Colin was never in a Coma? And Bright was? 


End file.
